Tripura: SPG inspects venues before top Cong leaders' visit

Agartala, Feb 5: A nine-member Special Protection Group (SPG) on Sunday arrived in Tripura from New Delhi to take stock of the situation ahead of the election campaigning by top Congress leaders later this month. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to visit the state to address rallies ahead of the assembly election on February 14.

Prime Minister Singh will address poll rally on February 9, followed by Sonia Gandhi's rally on February 10 and Rahul Gandhi on February 11. Rahul Gandhi was earlier supposed to hold his rally on February 8 but it was postponed owing to organization reasons.

The SPG group members inspected two probable venues in Dharmanagar where Rahul will hold his rally and also at Ambasa where PM Singh will address an election rally. They will also go to Agartala where Sonia Gandhi will address her rally and Bilonia, another venue for Rahul Gandhi. The team members also spoke to local police officers and state and central intelligence personnel. The three top leaders of the Congress will visit Tripura only after the SPG submits its final report.

The team will leave the state only after the trio completes their campaigning for the upcoming polls where the Congress will be looking to topple the 20-year-old regime of the Left.